Method of making flexible insoles



Oct. 26, 1954 s n- 2,692,401

METHOD OF MAKING FLEXIBLE INSOLES Filed Dec. 31, 1952 Inventor KQT'ZAJUitter Patented Oct. 26, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING FLEXIBLE INSOLES Karl A. Stritter, N ahant, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application December 31, 1952, Serial No. 328,975

2 Claims. .1

This invention relates to methods of making insoles.

Objects of the invention are to provide a method of making insoles such that the insole so produced, when bent in wear, will wrinkle at predetermined definite lines close together so that the wrinkles will not be felt by the wearer.

Frequently a layer of upper leather is applied to an insole as a sock lining with its finished face uppermost, and when a shoe having such an insole is bent in walking the surface of the upper leather layer wrinkles, pipes or rucks up so as to cause discomfort to the wearer of the shoe.

To prevent such discomfort, and as a feature of the invention, the finished surface of such a sock lining is embossed with evenly spaced transverse striations to locate or stabilize the wrinkling of the sock lining when bent in wear, the striations being preferably parallel to the break line of the shoe.

Insoles are usually of more or less yielding material and may be of cushioning material such as felt, porous plastic or rubber. In any case, the preferred method is to coat with cement the surfaces of the insole and sock lining that are to be united and, while the cement is fresh or green, that is unset, to emboss the finished surface of the sock lining with a roll or die having closely spaced ribs or ridges extending transversely of the sock lining parallel to the ball line, the surface of the sock lining being then thrown into ridges or valleys of small dimensions. As a result, when the insole is embodied in a shoe and worn, the location of the wrinkles formed in the inner face of the sock lining will be predetermined and the Wrinkles will be so small and so evenly distributed as to cause no discomfort to the wearer.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of an insole with cement on the forepart thereof;

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing a forepart sock lining of finished upper leather applied to the insole of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of an insole and an embossing die pressed upon the insole; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the complete insole showing the transverse striations on its inner face.

In making an insole by the present method, a full-length body portion ll] of leather or the like is provided with a coating of cement l2 such as latex applied to its forepart. A piece of upper leather I4 sufiicient to cover at least the forepart of the body portion In is cemented on its flesh face and applied to the forepart of the body portion 10 with its finished or grain side up. The assembled parts of the insole are then placed on a support I6 and, while the cement between the layers is unset to permit relative movement between the layers, the grain face of the layer it is subjected to heavy pressure by a die E3 the face of which is provided with small, closely spaced ribs which extend transversely across the ball portion of the forepart parallel to the ball line, that is, in the direction in which the wrinkles formed by bending the insole, as in walking, tend to extend. The completed insole, shown in Fig. 4, therefore has its forepart embossed with a series of transverse ribs or ridges 22 alternating with a similar series of grooves or valleys 24 and, when incorporated in a shoe of any usual construction, will present a finished appearance and will enhance the comfort of the wearer.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of making insoles which comprises providing a body layer of yielding material and a sock lining layer of finished upper leather, applying the sock lining layer finished side up to the body layer with cement between the layers, and while the cement is unset embossing the finished face of the sock lining layer with ridges and valleys extending transversely of the insole.

2. That improvement in methods of making insoles which comprises providing a body layer of yielding material and a sock lining layer of finished upper leather, applying the sock lining layer finished side up to the body layer with cement between the layers, and while the cement is unset embossing the finished face of the sock lining layer with small, closely spaced, alternating ridges and valleys extending transversely of the insole parallel to the ball line.

References Cited in the file of this patent Great Britain May 28, 1885 

